Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	good_a	righteousness_n	work_n	2,859	5	6.2434	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A42582	Eirēnikon, or, A treatise of peace between the two visible divided parties ... by Irenæus Philadelphus Philanthropus ...	Philanthropus, Irenaus Philadelphus.; Gell, Robert, 1595-1665.	1660 (1660)	Wing G469; ESTC R21302	66,598	92

as fight against the soul they are the sensual and brutish self And the same Grace of God arms the believer with weapons might●y hrough God for the casting down imaginations or reasonings and every high thing that exal●eth it self against the knowledge of God and bringing into captivity every thought unto the obedience of Christ 2 Cor. 10.4 5. That 's the denyal of the diabolical self What store of matter doth this juncture of time afford for self-denyal Such as the Apostle feared he should finde among his factious Corinthians such we may be sure is to be found among us 2 Cor. 12.20 Debates envyings wrathes strifes backbitings whis●erings swellings tumules This is the ●econd step which who●oever ascends he must expect assaults from the beast and the devil which he hath denyed and renounced And therefore it will be necessary that he ascend also the third 3. The Cross which he must take up dayly But what is the Cross Or rather what is it not He who undertook to write a Clavis Scripturae a key wherewith to open the Scripture saith the Cross is Omnis generis Calamitates piorum presertim veritatis causa toleratas Calamities of every kind of the godly born especially for the truths sake But if affliction or persecution or calamity such as he understands were the Cross then must we take them up and bare them as we are commanded to take up the cross But we are warranted to flee persecutions Math. 10.23 when they persecute you in one City flee to another but verse 38 of that chapter he tells them that he who taketh not up his cross and followeth him is not worthy of him Besides its possible that the Christian Church may for some time be without persecution For Acts 9.31 then had the Churches rest throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria and were edified and walking in the fear of God and comfort of the Holy Ghost were multiplied But shall we think that the Christians then laid aside the cross which our Lord commands those who will be his disciples to take up daily and follow him Adde hereunto that if afflictions were the cross which must be taken up then should onely poor and miserable men who could not avoid afflictions they should bear the cross but our Lord enjoyns this duty unto all who will be his Disciples Luke 9.23 Nor do I doubt but the reason why men encline rather to this Gloss that affliction is the cross because all manner of afflictions and tribulations may be born and yet sin may remain and live which generally men love better than their estates their honors yea their lives I have written of the Cross more largely because the bearing of it is a duty most necessary yet almost generally mistaken What then is it to bear the Cross The bearing of the Cross is the Christian patience Revel 1.9 It consists in bearing and suffering all assaults and temptations unto sin from all sorts of causes inward and outward without our yielding thereunto And because this of all other Christian duties is most contrary to the garb and fashion of the world which lies 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the evilone exposed to the obedience of his lusts and is most opposed and spoken against hence it is that the bearing of the Cross consists also in suffering ignominy shame reproach cursing and evil speaking So that we see wherein consists our conformity unto Christ crucified viz. in bearing all assaults and temptations unto sin with out yielding our consent thereunto as also in bearing shame and reproach ignominy which follows thereupon from the evil world Of the former the Apostle● eaks Gal. 2. ●0 I am crucified with Christ c. 5. They who are Christs have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts Of the latter Heb. 12.1 2 3. Let us run with patience the race that is set before us looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith who for the joy that was set before him endured the Cross despising the shame c. consider him who endured such contradiction of sinners against himself Where we have Christs example and our imitation of it expressed in those words Let us run with patience that race which is set before us and Hebr. 13.12 Jesus that he might sanctifie the people with his own blood suffered without the gate There 's Christs example our imitation followes verse 13. Let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp bearing his reproach When our old man is now crucified with Christ that the body of sin is destroyed that henceforth we may not serve sin then all the heavenly minded ones all the quick-sighted Eagles meet at the dead Body And Christ being lifted up will draw all men unto him Then and not till then appears Equity so that whatsoever we would that men should do to us even so we should do to them For while our iniquittes separate between us and our God while our hands are defiled with blood and our fingers with iniquity while our lips speak lies and our tongue mutters perverseness c. while our feet run to evil and make haste to shed innocent blood while our thoughts are thoughts of iniquity while wasting and destruction are in our pathes we cannot know the way of Peace nor is there any judgement in our goings For having made ourselves crooked pathes whosoever goeth therein shall not finde peace Whence followes a spiruual blindness of minde desperation guilty conscience apostasie and revolting from God And therefore terras Astrea reliquit Judgement is turned away backward and ustice standeth a far off for truth is fallen in the street and trodden under foot because we depart not from iniquity Dan. 9.13 By reason of these obstructions in the way of righteousness and Peace it comes to pass that equity cannot enter Esay 59. But when as by Humility Self-denyal and taking up the Cross these impediments are removed and they who are Christs have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts they meet in the way of righteousness judgement and equity Prov. 2.9 Then the way of Peace is opened and made known For whereas the universal righteousness consists in privative and positive duties departing from evil and doing good as the Prophets advice i● cease to do evil learn to do well putting off the old man and putting on the new mortifying sin and living unto God the effect of both is Peace depart from evil and do good seek peace and persue it Psalm 34.14 And the work of righteousness is peace and the effect of righteousness is quietness and assurance for ever Which is a demonstration of peace quietness and assurance from the cause of them which is righteousness and to confirm it to us as most certain the Prophet repeats the cause righteousness Esay 32.17 The 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ratio causandi or causality will appear from hence Peace is the compendium and abridgement of all temporal and eternal happiness And

especially with the Girdle of truth faithfulness and sincerity as also with strength Psal 18.39 and with chastity wherewith the Lord implies his Spouse should be girded Jer 13.11 O my Brethren both of Episcopal and of Presbyterian perswasion consider and be hearily ashamed of your common error that ye have both been so grosly mistaken that ye have neglected the common enemy even the Devil against whom we are all engaged by our Vow in Baptism and deserted the common Cause of Christianity the crucifying of the old man and are fallen foul one upon another Do you know no better the devices of Satan Are you so little known to your selves that you take no notice of your lusts that war in your members Do you no more regard them who are without What opinion think you hath the religious and irreligious world of you Remember the Cause you are engaged in is the Cause of God you have entred covenant with him upon these terms that you should fight against the world the flesh and the devil The Cause is Gods Cause and must needs be good The Apostle calls it so Fight the good fight of Faith 1 Tim. 6.12 It 's a Cause wherein all the people of God have been engaged from the beginning even since the Lord put enmity between the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent and promised that the holy seed Christ should break the serpents head It is the Good Old Cause Let not the old subtile Serpent any longer beguile you who deceives the Nations Quit your selves like men Lay down your Enmity one against another and joyn all your forces and all your courage against the common enemy and so the God of Peace shall bruise Satan under your feet quickly Mean time let us enquire into the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the things which make for Peace and 7. By what means Reconciliation may be made between the divided Parties THe Divine Life the effect whereof is Peace is discovered to St. John Revel 21. and every one who is willing is invited thereunto But it s vain labour to discover the life which is above to the wise saith Solomon Pro. 15.24 unless we have a Jacobs Ladder whereby we may ascend thereunto This we may do by divers steps or means which are either such as remove obstructions out of the way of peace or such as positively direct our feet into that way For as the godly life is a necessary means for the obtaining the eternal life and peace which is homogeneal and of the same nature with it so is the death unto sin a necessary means of obtaining the godly life as the Apostle reasons Col. 3.4 when Christ which is our life shall appear then shall we appear with him in glory mortifie therefore your earthly members whence it is that sinful men are said not to know the way of peace Rom. 3.17 And who can direct us better into this way than he who is the Prince of Life Acts 5. And prince of peace Esay 9. who appeared the Day-spring from on high to visit us to give light to them that sit in darkness and the shadow of death and to guide our feet into the way of peace Into this way he leads us by precept and example By precept of humility and lowliness of mind by self denyal and taking up the cross dayly Humility is the first step toward Mortification and that extream necessary because pride the contrary hereunto obstructs the way of Peace Pro. 13.10 For onely by pride cometh contention And if onely by pride whence I beseech you proceed the present contentions among us Is it not because 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 every one would be greatest Truly a very strange thing it is that men eminent for learning and profession of Christianity should so openly spend their zeal and heat about that old dispute who should be the greatest Luke 22. 'T is true this Controversie was among the Apostles but they had not yet received the holy spirit which I desire both parties advisedly to consider Why should they not rather endeavour after the fairest object of emulation the onely lawful contention who should be the best The Lacedemonians herein condemn too many of us Christians who were wont to exercise their Children in such questions as these who in all Sparta was the most sober most just most prudent most valiant man c. And it was one of them who say Nemo me major nisi qui me melior No man is greater then I unless he be better then I am Yea although I doubt not but the main design of the Covenant was outing of the Bishops and Inning of the Presbyters in their room yet in the close of the Covenant by an over-ruling hand the Covenanters vow That our true and unfeigned purpose desire and endeavor for our selves and all under our power and charge both in publick and private in all duties we owe to God and man to amend our lives and each one to go before another in the example of real Reformation This close of the Covenant which is most consonant unto the word of God hath been I fear quite forgotten and the main endeavour hath been to go one before another in wealth and honor as for the endeavour and strife to exceed one another in performance of our duties toward God and man O how modest most men are O how easily doth every man yield to another to go before him Yet if any man according to the Covenant endeavor to exceed others in goodness who have bound up themselves by their principles which they resolve not to exceed if he endeavor to be perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect he is accounted at least erroneous in his judgement if he can escape the Gardiners sheers of Discipline and cutting off for presuming to grow in grace above his neighbors The contention is not who should be the best man but who should be the greatest And onely from pride comes this contention And this is a great part of self which is to be denyed That 's the second step Self-denyal There are in man since the fall the abridgements of three selfs One whereby he agrees with the beast and lives according to the principles of brutish man 2. Another whereby he agrees with the old fubtil scrpent which deceiveth all the world with false principles of corrupt reason Revel 12. 3. The third whereby he agrees with God and the heavenly man 1 Cor. 15. This last we must deny to be ours not I but the grace of God which was with me The fear of God and keeping his Commandment is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 all the man saith Solomon Eccle. 12. what ever else is in the man it 's either the beast or the devil Both which make up the corrupt self which the true man must deny The Grace of God which is able to save all men hath appeared saith St. Paul teaching us to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts Tit. 2. Such